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[Blu-ray Review] Scream Factory Delivers the Ultimate ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2’ Release!

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Sequels in general are tricky. Sequels to legendary films are a whole lot trickier. If a film is universally praised and beloved, how do you follow that up without being a complete letdown?

One way is the James Cameron approach. Cameron’s first big budget project was Aliens, the follow up to Ridley Scott’s highly successful Alien. Directing the sequel to one of the greatest scifi/horror movies of all time is no easy task for a seasoned director, let alone a young up and comer. Cameron decided to switch genres up and make an action flick. He incorporated the scifi/horror elements Scott used, but Aliens is most certainly an action movie.

What a genius move! If you change the genre, you don’t have to worry so much about living up to the original. Yes, you’re still making a sequel, but in a way you’re doing something completely different.

Tobe Hooper took a very similar approach when he made The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2, even if he doesn’t really think he did. Much like Alien, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is one of the greatest horror films of all time. TCM is one of those movies that feel very gory, but in reality the gore is kept to the minimum and the film uses a fair bit of realism to scare you and does so with great success. TCM2 takes everything to the extreme, upping the gore and adding a darkly comedic element and plenty of cheese. It’s very much an 80’s movie.

This film takes place 13 years after the events of the first film. At this point Leatherface and his family are like a myth or urban legend. Sally, the sole survivor from the first movie, made it to authorities but once they made their way to the house they didn’t find any chainsaw wielding maniacs or any dead bodies. The assumption was Sally was just crazy. More young kids disappeared over the years in Texas but bodies were never found.

Lieutenant Boude “Lefty” Enright (Dennis Hopper) is the last person left who believes in Leatherface. He’s a former Texas Ranger and uncle to Sally. He has dedicated his life to finding Leatherface and his family. Anytime another person turned up missing along the Texas highway, Lefty is on the scene. For a number of years he had no luck, but that all changed when a couple of jerk-ass college kids were found dead as the result of a terrible car crash. At least the local police called it a just car crash. Lefty knew it was more than that.

We see the whole incident with these kids by the way. That’s actually how the film opens. Two douchey guys are speeding down the highway drinking while prank calling a local radio DJ (Caroline Williams). In the midst of their drinking and pranking they decide to play a game of chicken with a truck they assume is driven by some backwoods rednecks. In a way I guess the kids are right but these rednecks happen to be Leatherface (Bill Johnson) and his family.

Later that night when the kids are still driving around having a good time they decide to place another call to the radio station. While they’re on the phone the family returns and we’re treated to an awesomely fun scene. Hooper delivers a high speed chase between a car and a truck but to up the ante a bit Leatherface is standing on the back the drive, chainsaw in hand. Eventually Leatherface slices into the driver’s head and the car crashes. This entire incident is recorded on tape as a result of the kids still being on the phone with the radio station.

This opening scene sets the table for the rest of the film. Hooper immediately lets you know what you’re in for and that’s an over-the-top, blood-soaked good time.

The best part about TCM2 is how we get to spend so much more time with the family. This allows for more fun with the Spider Baby influence that was evident in the first film. The family is more crazy and bizarre than we thought too. They basically have an underground lair where they take their victims. Leatherface butchers them and Dayton (Jim Siedow) uses the meat to make some award winning barbeque. It’s a good system they have in place.

Chop Top (Bill Moseley), brother to Leatherface, is the new member of the family we get to meet and he’s probably the most fun. If I had to describe him in one word I’d go with goofy. He’s ridiculously goofy. I feel look Hooper just told Moseley to go as crazy as he’d like and he ran with it. I’m glad he did. To this day Chop Top is still my favorite Bill Moseley character. His introductory scene is one of the highlights of 80’s horror.

Choosing a favorite moment in TCM2 is supremely difficult. You have plenty of gory scenes like the opening and lots of strange scenes like Chop Top at the radio station. Then you have Lefty trying to pick out a chainsaw. He walks into the store without saying a word and picks up a few different chainsaws before quickly deciding on two. He pays the store owner, all in cash, and then heads outside to break them in on a big log. He never says anything. Couldn’t that have just been a normal day in the life of Dennis Hopper?

Of course I can’t not talk about Caroline Williams as the radio DJ Stretch. She has a number of memorable moments, most of which come opposite Moseley’s Chop Top. Being the final girl in this film Williams had some mighty big shoes to fill. She had to be likable, she had to be a heroine capable of saving the day and most importantly she had to be able to lose her shit. Williams checked all three boxes with ease. Plus she goes toe-to-toe with Moseley in a final scene that is perfection.

In the end is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 as good or better than The Texas Chain Saw Massacre? Probably not, but you can hardly compare the two. It’s not as scary or groundbreaking but that hardly matters. The film gives us characters and a story we’re already familiar with and delivers them in a new way fitting of the time period in which it was released. It’s everything I want in my 80’s horror.

Now let’s talk about this new Collector’s Edition Blu-ray from Scream Factory. This isn’t the first Blu-ray release for TCM2. There’s actually been quite a few releases with the best up to this point being a region B release from Arrow Video. That Arrow Video release is incredible. I didn’t think anything could come close to it, let alone top it but somehow, someway I think Scream Factory just edged Arrow out. Now that Arrow release is still worth having, but the ultimate release comes courtesy of Scream. Check out these special features:

Disc 1: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part Two (New HD Transfer)

-NEW 2016 2K HD scan of the inter-positive film element
-NEW Audio Commentary with director of photography Richard Kooris, production designer Cary White, script supervisor Laura Kooris and property master Michael Sullivan
-Audio Commentary with director Tobe Hooper
-Audio Commentary with actors Bill Moseley, Caroline Williams and special effects makeup creator Tom Savini
-NEW Extended Outtakes from It Runs in the Family featuring L.M. Kit Carson and Lou Perryman (30 minutes)
-NEW Behind-the-Scenes Footage Compilation from Tom Savini’s archives (43 minutes)
-Alternate Opening Credit Sequence
-Deleted Scenes
-Still Galleries – posters and lobby cards, behind-the-scenes photos, stills and collector’s gallery
-Theatrical Trailers
-TV Spots


Disc 2: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part Two (Original HD Transfer)

-MGM’s original HD Master with color correction supervision by director of photography Richard Kooris
-NEW House of Pain – a interview with make-up effects artists Bart Mixon, Gabe Bartalos, Gino Crognale and John Vulich (42 minutes)
-NEW Yuppie Meat – a interview with actors Chris Douridas and Barry Kinyon (19 minutes)
-NEW Cutting Moments – a interview with editor Alain Jakubowicz (17 minutes)
-NEW Behind the Mask – a interview with stunt man and Leatherface performer Bob Elmore (14 minutes)
-NEW HORROR’S HALLOWED GROUNDS – revisiting the locations of the film – hosted by Sean Clark plus a special guest (25 minutes)
-It Runs in the Family – a six part feature-length documentary featuring interviews with screenwriter L.M. Kit Carson, actors Bill Moseley, Caroline Williams, Bill Johnson, Lou Perryman, special makeup effects artist Tom Savini and more… (84 minutes)

That’s a lot of stuff! Some of it is older and ported over from previous releases but a good chunk of it is new and exclusive to this Scream Factory release. So while the Arrow Video release has a ton of features, Scream Factory managed to build on that. To be fair though, the Arrow release does have some stuff that didn’t make it over to Scream’s release as well, like Tobe Hooper’s earlier films. So both releases have special features that are exclusive to each release, which is why I think it’s best to own both if you’re a big fan of TCM2.

Here’s where Scream Factory steps it up – that 2k HD transfer. That’s a special, special transfer. This somehow looks better than the Arrow release. It’s a gorgeous, pristine Blu-ray. Maybe the best I’ve ever seen. Seriously top notch stuff. You want this release for that transfer. And if for some strange reason you don’t like the new 2k transfer, not sure why you wouldn’t but maybe you’re weird, disc 2 contains the same transfer from the Arrow release. You get the best of both worlds.

I love The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2. I now own 4 copies of this film on Blu-ray and I love every single one. If I had to choose just one of the 4 copies to keep, I’d go with the Scream Factory release as it’s far and away the best. Do yourself a favor and get this now.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 is now available on a 2-disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray from Scream Factory.

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Chris Coffel is originally from Phoenix, AZ and now resides in Portland, OR. He once scored 26 goals in a game of FIFA. He likes the Phoenix Suns, Paul Simon and 'The 'Burbs.' Oh and cats. He also likes cats.

Home Video

‘Lisa Frankenstein’ Shambles Onto Blu-ray in April With Audio Commentary and Deleted Scenes

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lisa frankenstein trailer 2

The horror-comedy Lisa Frankenstein is headed home to physical media, with the film zombie-walking its way onto DVD and Blu-ray from Universal on April 9, 2024.

Directed by Zelda Williams and written by Diablo Cody (Juno, Jennifer’s Body), Lisa Frankenstein will also be available for a lower price on Digital beginning March 29.

Special Features include:

  • Audio commentary by director Zelda Williams
  • An Electric Connection featurette
  • Resurrecting the ‘80s featurette
  • A Dark Comedy Duo featurette
  • 5 deleted scenes
  • Gag reel

Meagan Navarro wrote in her review for Bloody Disgusting,” Billed as a coming-of-rage tale, Lisa Frankenstein instead offers a celebration of outcasts and weirdos.”

“It makes for a sugary sweet, almost wholesome effort held together by a trio of infectiously winsome performances,” Meagan’s review continued. She added, “As a celebration of teen girls and outcasts who just want to be loved, Lisa Frankenstein ultimately charms.”

Kathryn Newton (Freaky) and Cole Sprouse (“Riverdale”) lead the cast for Focus Features, and the new film is rated “PG-13” for “bloody images and sexual material.”

Carla Gugino (The Fall of the House of Usher), Liza Soberano (Alone/Together), Joe Chrest (Stranger Things) and Henry Eikenberry (The Crowded Room) also star.

[Related] ‘Lisa Frankenstein’ and ‘Jennifer’s Body’: A Match Made in Hot Pink Heaven

In Lisa Frankenstein, “Set in 1989, the film follows an unpopular high schooler who accidentally re-animates a handsome Victorian corpse during a lightning storm and starts to rebuild him into the man of her dreams using the broken tanning bed in her garage.”

Here’s the full official plot synopsis: “A coming of RAGE love story about a misunderstood teenager and her high school crush, who happens to be a handsome corpse. After a set of playfully horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness… and a few missing body parts along the way.”

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